Hong Kong shares close up 2 pct, limit February losses

Source :

Last Updated: Thu, Feb 28, 2013 08:20 hrs

HONG KONG, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares ended
February with their best daily gain in two months on Thursday as
sentiment improved after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke reaffirmed his commitment to strong stimulus.

The Hang Seng Index ended up 2 percent on the day,
led by growth sensitive shares, but was down 3 percent on the
month at 23,020.3. The China Enterprises Index of the
top Chinese listings in Hong Kong rose 2.6 percent on Thursday,
but sank 5.7 percent this month.

The CSI300 of the top Shanghai and Shenzhen
A-share listings closed up 3 percent on the day, but down 0.5
percent on the month. The Shanghai Composite Index rose
2.3 percent on Thursday, but shed 0.8 percent in February.

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Thursday gains were the best daily showing for both
indexes since Jan. 2, while February losses were their
respective worst since May 2012.

* Official data on Friday could show Chinese factory
activity probably grew at its slowest pace in four months in
February as foreign demand remained sluggish. The median
forecast from a Reuters poll of 14 economists showed the
official purchasing managers' index (PMI) likely edged lower to
50.2 in February after seasonal adjustments, from January's
50.4.